"Those interviews and documents suggested that Father Murphy, who is accused of molesting as many as 200 boys at the school near Milwaukee, also used his family’s lakefront cottage as a lure in his sexual advances, bringing youths from the school into his home beginning at least in the early 1960s.

What has recently come to light in fresh documents and interviews is that he was in the company of boys not only from the Milwaukee area but in the Northwoods region. Two in the area have accused Father Murphy of abuse, one at the isolated family cottage and the other, as late as 1978, at a youth detention center near Boulder Junction."

Rejoice Catholics of the Diocese of Venice, Bishop Frank Dewane washed the feet of some women on Holy Thursday!According to a Sarasota Herald Tribune article, Bishop Dewane sent a letter to his priests reminding them of the rule that women's feet were not to be washed on Holy Thursday. Some pastors followed the directive, some did not. Bishop Dewane did not follow his own directive. What happenened?Does this represent a change of heart by Bishop Dewane?Let's hope so.Bridget Mary Meehan,RCWP

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/ratzingers-responsibilityRatzinger's Responsibility'Scandalous wrongs cannot be glossed over, we need a change of attitude'Mar. 18, 2010 By Hans KüngAccountability "Is it not time for Pope Benedict XVI himself to acknowledge his share of responsibility, instead of whining about a campaign against his person? No other person in the Church has had to deal with so many cases of abuse crossing his desk. Here some reminders":

"...In his five years as Archbishop of Munich, repeated cases of sexual abuse at least by one priest transferred to his Archdiocese have come to light. His loyal Vicar General, my classmate Gerhard Gruber, has taken full responsibility for the handling of this case, but that is hardly an excuse for the Archbishop, who is ultimately responsible for the administration of his diocese. In his 24 years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, from around the world, all cases of grave sexual offences by clerics had to be reported, under strictest secrecy ("secretum pontificum"), to his curial office, which was exclusively responsible for dealing with them. Ratzinger himself, in a letter on "grave sexual crimes" addressed to all the bishops under the date of 18 May, 2001, warned the bishops, under threat of ecclesiastical punishment, to observe "papal secrecy" in such cases. In his five years as Pope, Benedict XVI has done nothing to change this practice with all its fateful consequences.

Anglican leader: Irish church lost all credibility By RAPHAEL G. SATTERAssociated Press Writer

EXCERPTS:The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has lost all credibility because of its mishandling of abuse by priests, the leader of the Anglican church said in remarks released Saturday. A leading Catholic archbishop said he was "stunned" by the comments...

"The Catholic Church has been rocked by sex abuse scandals in countries such as the United States, Germany and Ireland, where Cardinal Sean Brady faces calls for his resignation following allegations that he played a role in helping to cover up activities of pedophile priests."

"The pope himself has come under fire, with critics accusing Benedict - who as a Vatican cardinal directed the Holy See's policy on handling abuse cases - was part of a culture of secrecy intended to protect church hierarchy."

April 2, 2010 The Catholic Church's Blind Spot?Katha Pollitt: Again, We're Learning that the Cover-up Is Worse Than the Crime

(The Nation) Katha Pollitt's writing has appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker, The London Review of Books, the Washington Post and the New York Times. Her new book of poems, The Mind-Body Problem, has just been published by Random House.

Excerpt:"In the succinct words of Jodi Jacobson, editor of RHRealityCheck.org, "Why is a pedophilia-ridden, pedophilia-hiding, child-abusing Church allowed to write laws controlling women's rights?" To which one might add: what gives a church in which celibacy is equated with holiness, in which males have almost all the power, the right to a place at the table where laws are made about women's bodies? The same institution that has dealt so indulgently with its ordained pedophiles had no problem excommunicating a Brazilian mother who sought an abortion for her 9-year-old daughter, raped and impregnated with twins by her stepfather, or pushing for laws in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Chile banning abortion even to save the woman's life. ".... And as Jacobson details, it was the Conference of Catholic Bishops that worked alongside Republican Congressmen Chris Smith, Joe Pitts and Mike Pence to insert last-minute language denying HIV-positive women access to contraceptives and favoring abstinence-only-until-marriage policies in the 2008 President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief."

strong>Phila. protest of clergy sex abuse is small | Philadelphia ...Philadelphia InquirerIn 2006, DiFranco, a public school nurse in Philadelphia, was ordained by the organization Roman Catholic Womenpriests - an act the Catholic Church does not ...http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/89755462.html

Friday, April 2, 2010

"While Cantalamessa delivered his ringing defense of the pontiff, the church in Benedict's native Germany made the unusually frank admission that it failed to help victims of clerical abuse because it wanted to protect its reputation."

"Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German bishops' conference, said clerics neglected helping victims because of a "wrongly intended desire to protect the church's reputation."

<strong>The Vatican needs to end its denials, tell the truth, open up its records, remove the bishops who kept pedophiles in ministry, (stop promoting them like Cardinal Law) and chart a new path toward a more open, accountable, church with standards of accountability for all including the Pope and bishops. An independent truth commission that would deal with the sex abuse crisis -its causes and remedies is now necessary. The German bishops have taken a step in the right direction in admitting that there is a problem. The Vatican should do likewise. It is the first step toward healing.
Bridget Mary Meehan

Some members of Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community gathered to celebrate a joyful house church liturgy on Holy Thursday to commemorate the one year anniversary of Mary, Sheila Carey's Mother, who died last year on April 8th. Priest Lee Breyer and Bridget Mary Meehan washed the feet of women and men who chose to celebrate this biblical ritual as a sign of Jesus'call to serve one another.

Late nun's plea to live Holy Week still resonatesSister Thea Bowman's Reflection"Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy within our families, sharing family prayer on a regular basis, making every meal a holy meal where loving conversations bond family members in unity, sharing family work without grumbling, making love not war, asking forgiveness for past hurts and forgiving one another from the heart, seeking to go all the way for love as Jesus went all the way for love.Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy with the needy, the alienated, the lonely, the sick and afflicted, the untouchable...May our fasting be the kind that saves and shares with the poor, that actually contacts the needy, that gives heart to heart, that touches and nourishes and heals.During this Holy Week when Jesus gave his life for love, let us truly love one another."

His attention shifts to his cup.He toys the edge and again questions them.“Do you know what this is?”“Your wine?” One asks.“You haven’t finished your wine. Do you need more? We have plenty.”

He becomes somber.“No. Not so. You do not understand. Think. Think and watch.”

He studies the bread – contemplating, visioning.A serious focus embraces the wine.Back and forth he gazes, blessing and knowing –Past and future merge!Bread and wine converge on NOW!

He holds the bread, intently, carefully.“This, “ he instructs, “This is my body!”

“Here, take it!” A commanding offer. “Take it and eat it.”His eyes meet the first and move from one to another.“All of you! Eat it!” And they do.

He holds his wine cup – studying it, swirling it.“And this,” he says, “This is the cup of my blood! This is the cup of salvationWhich will be shed for you and for many.Here. Take this cup and drink from it.”Again their eyes meet.“All of you! Drink from it!” And they do.

Solemnity falls on those assembled.They look each to the other.They know only vaguely the enormity of what has happened.

He looks lovingly, sadly, at each of them.“You,” he says. “Now you are my body; now you are my blood!Furthermore, I tell you to do this. Do this in remembrance of me!Do this until the end of time! And I am with you!”

He looks down. They become – all of them – one in him and he in them.And he whispers, “It is finished!”

Good Friday

Beyond realityBeyond the painNothing matters; fulfilling the mission“This is why I am here.”Focus – the journey nears its end.

"Words are important but actions are the real test. Anyone who knew and did nothing or knew and covered it up should no longer be in a position of authority in the church. Holding individual bishops and administrators accountable would speak volumes. Stop expecting any sympathy from the flock; you don’t deserve it. Stop being defensive and complaining that the media coverage is a “pretext for attacking the Church.” You created this problem by not responding to disclosures of abuse and by trying to hide them instead of dealing with them."

As a Catholic priest for 38 years, I am both sad and angry because the sexual abuse scandal in my church continues to claim more victims, now in Germany.

My instincts tell me that this coverup, silence and indifference toward the victims would not have happened if the Catholic Church had women priests and women bishops.

(Negative view: The favorable view of Pope Benedict XVI fell from 63% of adults — his personal best in the USA in 2008, when he visited New York and Washington D.C. — to 40%, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll./Andrew Medichini, AP.)

It is time for Catholics to take back our church from the control of the hierarchy!Call for a renewed, reform church with women priests, married priests, an end to mandatory celibacy and structures of accountability for all including the Pope and the bishops. I agree that the all-male leadership of the church is adrift and it is time for change. Allwe need to ask is what Jesus would do now, and do it. Since Mary of Magdala was the first witness to encounter the Risen Christ, we know that women are equal members of the believing community. It is time for the hierarchy to call on women to be partners and equals in our church in all ministries including a renewed priestly ministry that is united with the people we serve.Bridget Mary Meehansofiabmm@aol.com

WASHINGTON, DC - "Tomorrow, Roman Catholics globally will join together for feast of Holy Thursday, to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus the Christ and welcome the Easter Triduum, the holiest days for Catholics. It was during the Last Supper that Jesus gave those gathered a new commandment ---to "love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another," only to be betrayed by Judas.

Like Jesus, Roman Catholics everywhere have been betrayed − again. The latest Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal which implicates Pope Benedict XVI, the former Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger of Munich, in a sex abuse case is beyond belief for Catholics worldwide. How can these crimes still be coming to light when the Vatican has been made aware of the magnitude of the crisis? How is it possible that leaders of the Vatican still have not come clean about pedophile cases that were not properly addressed?

For far too long, the all-male boys club has covered up decades of abuse with lies and secrets that have put our most vulnerable in severe danger, a far cry from Jesus' commandment to live a life of love.

The Women's Ordination Conference calls for an official opening of the discussion on women's ordination. In a church reeling from abuse, scandal, and oppression, it's long overdue for the Vatican to use all of its resources to work toward a solution.

For far too long, only ordained, male, celibate clergy have dictated-or tried to dictate-how Catholics worship, pray and make decisions. Canon 1024, which states that only men can validly receive the sacrament of ordination, is unjust and does not value the gospel message of Jesus. It must be changed.

We are calling on our members to take action: express their outrage and call for accountability and equality to their local priests and parish leaders, reach out to victims and take steps to make sure children are protected now, write letters to the U.S. Bishops, and discontinue all financial contributions that benefit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

When women are full and equal partners in every aspect of the Catholic Church, only then, will the Roman Catholic Church be associated with accountability, transparency and justice rather than hierarchy, exclusion, and scandal. Until then, we will continue to raise our collective voices and organize actions that will bring our church closer to the gospel values of Jesus."

Should There Be an Inquisition for the Pope? By MAUREEN DOWDPublished: March 30, 2010 New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/opinion/31dowd.htm"It doesn’t seem right that the Catholic Church is spending Holy Week practicing the unholy art of spin.Complete with crown-of-thorns imagery, the church has started an Easter public relations blitz defending a pope who went along with the perverse culture of protecting molesters and the church’s reputation rather than abused — and sometimes disabled and disadvantaged — children.The church gave up its credibility for Lent. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are now becoming Cover-Up Thursday and Blame-Others Friday. "...

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- "European bishops are urging clerical sex abuse victims to go to police and are promising more transparency and cooperation with civil authorities in abuse cases."

<strong>Finally, a step in the right direction. The sins of the Fathers and the coverup by the bishops are now being recognized as crimes against children and youth that should be investigated by civil authoriities. Since 1950, an estimated 280,000 children have been sexually abused by Catholic Clergy according to statistics from the John Jay School of Criminal Justice. Jesus would weep at the violation of precious children.
Let us offer our support and prayers for all those who have been violated by our clergy. Let us call Catholics to take action to reform our church so that all are accountable including the Pope and Bishops. Let us change the structure of our church from a authoritarian, hierarchy to a collaborative, inclusive, people-empowered community. Let us hold all members of the Catholic family in loving prayer during this global crisis as we open our hearts to the Spirit and pray for the renewal of our beloved church. Bridget Mary Meehan
sofiabmm@aol.com

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100330/ARTICLE/3301069Dear Editor,In response to your article on "A gender debate on foot washing", Catholics in Southwest Florida, who believe in gender equality, should stop giving and see if Bishop Dewane changes his directive on washing women's feet on Holy Thursday. The meaning of the foot washing is that Jesus gave us an example of mutual service. So why should priests not wash the feet of women who do so much work in local parishes?The bible tells us that Jesus washed his disciples feet. Women were among Jesus' closest disciples. The Risen Christ appeared first to Mary of Magdala and told her to "go and tell" the apostles the Good News of the Resurrection. The church fathers called Mary, the "apostle to the apostles". So,on what grounds does the Catholic Church hierarchy refuse to wash women's feet? Is this another example of sexism? If so, Catholics need to take action. Bridget Mary MeehanRoman Catholic Womanbishopserving the Southern RegionSarasota, Floridasofiabmm@aol.com941-955-2313

Most Rev. Frank J. Dewane, Bishop of Venice in FloridaHeraldTribune.comA gender debate on foot washingBy Todd RugerPublished: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 1:00 a.m."In a move that brings a national debate home to Southwest Florida Catholic churches, Bishop Frank Dewane has reminded priests that only men should have their feet washed during a pre-Easter ceremony.Many Catholic priests in Southwest Florida have customarily washed the feet of male and female parishioners on the Thursday before Easter in a symbol of humbly serving others..."

“Cry out as if you had a million voices, it is silence that kills the world,” said St. Catherine of Siena, a courageous reformer who lived from 1347-1380, at a time of grave scandal when three men, each claiming to be the pope, shook the church to its foundation.

Today, Catholics live in a time when the institutional church has lost credibility because of the cover-up of a global sex abuse scandal that, like a rapidly spreading cancer, is destroying the moral fiber of our church. "

According to a reliable source Bishop Frank Dewane sent letters to all of the pastors in the diocese,saying that NO WOMEN may have their feet washed at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.If so, this is an example of gender discrimination.Women are created in God's image and are members of the Body of Christ.Women of the Church in Florida, it is time to call for a boycott. Stop giving money and talent to the Catholic Church in Florida, until the bishop acknowleges you as equal members, worthy to have your feet washed.If Catholics stop giving, the bishop(s) will start listening!Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP

“Cry out as if you had a million voices, it is silence that kills the world,” said St. Catherine of Siena, a courageous reformer who lived from 1347-1380, at a time of grave scandal when three men, each claiming to be the pope, shook the church to its foundation. Today Catholics live in a time when the institutional church has lost credibility because of the cover-up of a global sex abuse scandal that, like a rapidly spreading cancer, is destroying the moral fiber of our church. Like St. Catherine, we, the people, need to speak truth to our church leaders including our bishops and our pope. Silence is compliance. It was silence on the part of many good people that allowed world-wide atrocities such as the Holocaust and the rape and murder of hundreds of thousands of women and children in tribal warfare in Africa to continue without world intervention.

Roman Catholics can no longer be silent about the thousands of victims throughout Europe and around the world who were sexually assaulted by Catholic clergy. The growing number of allegations of sexual abuse in Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands indicate that the cover-up of crimes against children and youth in the Catholic Church goes all the way to the Pope and the Vatican. In the U.S. the sex abuse scandal has destroyed the lives of victims and their families, bankrupted some dioceses and cost the Church over two billion dollars. Approximately two-thirds of sitting U.S. bishops were alleged in 2002 to have kept accused priests in ministry or moved them to new assignments. Nineteen bishops in the United States have been accused of sexual abuse. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/data.htm#enabling_bishops

The Vatican's record on child abuse was criticized at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on March 16, 2010.

Pope Benedict, the former Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger of Munich, has been linked to the case of a German priest convicted of molesting children but allowed to continue to minister in Ratzinger’s archdiocese for more than 30 years until his recent suspension. Later, as head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger was in charge of reviewing sexual abuse cases for the Vatican. The cases were handled under a strict code of pontifical secrecy. The Vatican has handled more than 3,000 cases, according to its own report. Since Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is implicated in the handling of the cases, civil authorities should investigate the alleged cover-up to assure that transparency and justice is achieved.

Catholics should call on the all-male leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, especially those in the Vatican, to admit their failures, including the abuse of power at the center of this crisis. Catholics should call for the resignation of bishops who covered-up sex abuse. Standards of accountability must be the norm for all, including the pope and hierarchy.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests have called for an independent truth commission made up of a broad representation of people of integrity, including victims of abuse and the non-ordained, to examine this global sexual abuse crisis and to chart a path forward to structural change - a change which would include women priests and married priests with an end to mandatory celibacy. Now more than ever our Church needs the wisdom and experience of women to re-birth a renewed community of equals empowered by the Spirit. Roman Catholic Womenpriests offer a collaborative model of an inclusive Church rooted in partnership with the people we serve, with no one excluded. (Bridget Mary Meehan is a Roman Catholic Womanbishop serving the southern region of the U.S. She is author of 18 books and has produced television programs on prayer, spirituality, and women's issues.)

"The Vatican has denied a series of media reports alleging that Pope Benedict, before being elected pontiff, may have looked the other way in cases of abuse in his native Germany and in the United States. Last week, the Vatican strongly defended its decision not to defrock the Wisconsin-based priest Father Lawrence Murphy, who abused some 200 deaf boys in the 1950s and ’60s. The National Catholic Reporter says the Pope must be ready to answer questions and called the scandal “the largest institutional crisis in centuries, possibly in church history. We speak to Bridget Mary Meehan”

A Must Read Letter on Victim's Perspectivehttp://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100327/LETTERS/3271007/2061/LIVING?Title=A-call-to-Catholics&tc=ar

Sunday, March 28, 2010

In analyzing Pope Benedict's role in the catastrophic sexual abuse scandal, we need to ask: what did he know and when did he know it?

In his former job as head of the Sacred Congregation of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger issued a letter to the bishops that put sexual abuse cases under pontifical secrecy which meant the bishops were obliged to refer clergy sexual abuse cases to the Vatican.

We need answers to some questions about these secret Vatican trials:
1.Were the victims of sexual abuse present at these trials?
2.Were the accused clergy present?
3. If not, how could the Vatican claim that justice was done, if neither victim nor accused, were present? How could any procedure, canonical or not, be fair?
4.How many priests were "defrocked" as a result of this canonical procedure?
5.How many priests were excommunicated?

In discussing the handling of pedophile priests, Father Lombardi said that “the Code of Canon Law does not envision automatic penalties.” (NY Times article, 25 March)

The Vatican apparently has no problem applying “automatic penalties” of ex-communication on Roman Catholic Womenpriests whose mission is to serve the people of God in a renewed priestly ministry. Why has the Vatican failed to punish, in a similar way, pedophile priests and bishops who shuffled abusers from parish to parish. In some cases, bishops, like Cardnal Law, even got top jobs in the Vatican.
The people in Ireland are calling for Cardinal Sean Brady's resignation because of his involvement in a sex abuse scandal. Likewise, Catholics who love the church should demand a top-down shakeup of prelates who were involved in the coverup.

I agree with those who say it is time a major Church Council "Vatican 111". It is time to eliminate mandatory celibacy, and embrace a renewed vision of ministry that would include the non-ordained in decision-making positions as well as married priests and woman priests. We need a more open, participatory, people-empowered, Christ-centered, Spirit led church and we need it now. Only a new Pentecost of genuine renewal and major reforms will save the Catholic Church.
Bridget Mary
sofiabmm@aol.com

A Nope for Pope
By MAUREEN DOWD
Yup, we need a Nope.A nun who is pope.
"The Catholic Church can never recover as long as its Holy Shepherd is seen as a black sheep in the ever-darkening sex abuse scandal...
The nuns have historically cleaned up the messes of priests. And this is a historic mess. Benedict should go home to Bavaria. And the cardinals should send the white smoke up the chimney, proclaiming “Habemus Mama.” "
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28dowd.html

Maureen Dowd hit another homerun with this column! Several of the nuns I know would make wonderful popes. Some in the Catholic reform movement think that Sister Joan Chittister qualifies for the job. Now, that there are womenprests, one day in the far distant future, there could be a woman pope!!Then, for sure, there will be pink smoke over the Vatican!